


Dr. Olenna Tyrell, Extraordinary Therapy for Extraordinary Individuals

by AlynnaStrong



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack, F/F, F/M, Gen, Humor, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-10-20 00:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20666006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlynnaStrong/pseuds/AlynnaStrong
Summary: Cases from the files of Dr. Olenna Tyrell, a therapist serving those with unusual powers and needs.





	1. Introduction

“Growing Strong,” proclaimed the framed print of a rose towering above a plot of weeds. It had made Olenna roll her eyes when her granddaughter recommended it as decoration for her new office, but many of her patients seemed to appreciate the sentiment.

Margaery was one of the few in her mutton-headed family to understand why Olenna insisted on keeping up her psychiatric practice at the age of ninety. She was already unspeakably wealthy, her children _and _grandchildren all well-placed in prominent positions. Her own reputation as both a grand dame of high society and a groundbreaking therapist was already secure.

Her sons and grandsons said she should take a step back and enjoy a well earned retirement. Bugger that. Olenna knew her mind would be pudding within a year. She thrived on knowing the otherwise unknown and figuring out what made people tick. True, the ethics of her profession kept her from using what she discovered directly to her advantage, but it was enough just to know their secrets.

She would concede, however, that after a half century of practice, the routine cases had become too dull keep her going. Anyone can throw pills at mood disorders or navigate couples through infidelity. Just as she was beginning to consider that her progeny may be correct (the very idea!), her first strange case had come in. She solved it to his satisfaction, and the floodgates opened. It seemed there were quite a few individuals with extraordinary powers who needed counseling on the complications those abilities caused in their lives.

Olenna soon transformed her practice into a specialized service for such singular individuals. To say she felt half her age would be an insult; she felt timeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm open to referrals for Olenna's patient files :)


	2. Brienne T.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patient: Brienne T.  
Re: A complicated dating situation.

“You can sit anywhere you like, dear.”

Brienne looked uncertain for a moment – she’d heard that joke about the 600 pound gorilla often enough – but the old lady seemed kind and genuine. She chose a sturdy chair.

Dr. Tyrell took the chair opposite hers. She made a variety of seating options available for her clients. They were all spaced closely enough to establish connection but not so close as to invade their personal space.

“Now, this is your first time here, so tell me a bit about you first. Particularly your special needs.”

“Me, no. I’m just a regular person. My friend Renly referred me though because of my dating situation.”

“I see. Well, tell me all about it, then.”

“Okay, um, I run a self-defense studio out at Golden Grove.”

Olenna nodded; Golden Grove was a very nice part of the city. The young woman may not dress well, but she had money. Loras’ husband had a good eye.

“A bookstore café opened next door. The owner is this beautiful blonde, always perfectly put together. I’m not stupid; I know she just batted her eyelashes at me so I’d carry in all those heavy boxes of books for her. It’s not common for a pretty girl to flirt with me though, and it was really no problem, so I helped her out.

“She gets deliveries several times a week, and it just became a habit. I’d carry stuff in and she’d make me a cup of coffee and we’d talk. It was nice. Eventually she started inviting me over with nothing to carry.

“Around this time, I noticed how she closed at 3pm instead of 5 like most of the other businesses. I asked about it, and she sort of shrugged it off. She said Jaime wasn’t much of a reader. I took a step back then because I figured Jaime was her girlfriend – or boyfriend – the name could go either way.

“So it surprised me the next time that I came over that she asked me on a date. I said that I really liked her but I didn’t want to get between her and Jaime. Well, she laughed so hard I thought she was going to sprain something. She said Jaime was her brother, not her lover.

“We had our first date that weekend, a day trip to the beach. It was so much fun even though you can tell from looking at me that I don’t get to the beach very often. We grew closer and saw each other every day, but no, um, overnight time. I wanted to and I could tell she did too, but there was something in the way. Finally, she broke down and told me her secret.”

_It’s about time_, Olenna thought. She’d been prepared to twist Renly’s ear if he’d sent her a boring case of a lady disturbed to find out she was a lesbian.

“She’s special, you see. Jaime’s not just her brother, he’s her literal other half. They shift back and forth every twelve hours. She’s Cersei from 3am to 3pm, and he’s Jaime from 3pm to 3am.”

Olenna’s pen could barely keep up with the pace of her note taking. This was exactly why she stayed in the game. “I can see this would present difficulties,” she said.

“I mean, it’s obviously inconvenient, but they’ve made their peace with it over the years. Jaime wasn’t dating anyone, so at least it was just the three of us. I told Cersei it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me, that if I only got to have half of each day with her I’d still count myself lucky.

“She melted at that, and we spent the rest of the day, um, together. It was lovely. I took a nap, and when I woke up this incredibly handsome man was wrapped around me. I tried to wiggle away without waking him, but couldn’t manage it.” Brienne had been blushing and fidgeting as she talked around the edges of her sexual escapades. One of these days, her clients would realize Olenna had heard _everything _before. 

Brienne’s shy smile fell when she talked of Jaime’s reaction. “He looked horrified, like he’d woken up in the freak show of a carnival. I didn’t say anything, just got dressed and hurried out of there. They don’t share each other’s memories, you see. They leave notes or send emails, but I guess she hadn’t gotten across to Jaime how I look.” Brienne shrugged helplessly.

“I see. It can be difficult to find your place in a family of siblings who are close. They have so much shared history together, even more so in this case. I usually recommend cultivating a personal relationship with the other sibling, finding other matters of commonality.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what we did. Jaime and I fought – a lot – at first. As we got to know each other better we realized we are more alike that we thought. We started really enjoying one another’s company, and there was… attraction as well.”

“Ah, yes. That would present some complicated issues about infidelity.”

“Not as much as you’d think. It took a few days and some long emails back and forth, but we all came to the same conclusion. They are the same person, so it’s okay with both of them if I also date the other one.

“They can be a bit competitive, not that I mind.” Brienne’s blush surpassed all previous levels. “Some of my friends might be scandalized by me having two lovers, but it’s really none of their business.”

Olenna leaned back in her chair. “You’ve given me an interesting account, to be sure, but it seems that you’ve largely resolved your issues. With great maturity, I should say. So why did you come to see me?”

“You’re a medical doctor. You can prescribe drugs.”

“Yes, but I see no organic illness here. There’s certainly nothing in the medical literature that would address the shifting.”

“I was hoping you’d write me a prescription for amphetamines. Like I said, they both want to spend time with me, and I feel selfish when I get tired.”

_So much for maturity. _“Oh dear me, no, girl. That’s not the solution. I believe we should schedule another appointment to work on your time management skills. In the meantime, tell both of them that you’ll be focusing on quality time from now on.”

Olenna wrapped up the session and sent Brienne on her way with a firm reminder to take time for herself as well occasionally. She organized her notes into another case file that got a gold star on its jacket for describing a new set of abilities. It’d been a good day.


	3. Podrick P.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patient: Podrick P.  
Re: Finding love ethically

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Ginar369 for the prompt - I hope you enjoy!

The shy young man crept softly into Olenna’s office. He acted more like he was trying not to disturb her than duly keeping an appointment. Beneath his earnest brown eyes, most of his face was concealed by a paper surgical mask.

“Are you ill, young man? We can reschedule if you’re not feeling well. Personally, I have no interest in catching the plague.”

“No ma’am. I’m fit. I wear the mask to muffle my voice. Counters the effects a bit.”

“Take it off immediately. At my age I have excellent self control but sadly diminished hearing.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He removed it and took a seat in the middle of the sofa. When Olenna sat opposite him, he scooted to the furthest end from her.

“On the phone you said you’ve recently developed the power of suggestion, is that right?”

“Yes. Growing up, I had this really bad st-stutter. There it is. S-Sometimes it comes back when I’m nervous. I worked hard with a sspeech coach to get rid of it. And I mostly did. After though, I noticed that people were always doing what I asked. It was weird. I mean, I think I’m a pretty reasonable guy, but all of a sudden there wasn’t a request I could make that’d get turned down.

“I thought maybe I just seemed more confident since I could talk better. Then, it happened when I was just joking. I was at Starbucks and realized I’d forgotten my wallet. I said I was sorry and that maybe just this once the barista could give me the coffee for free. She said ‘Sure thing, cutie,’ and handed it over like that it was nothing.”

“Did you consider, perhaps, that she was flirting with you?”

“Not really... at the time. And later, when I went back to pay them what I owed, there was a different girl there. I was explaining what had happened, and when I got to the bit about asking for the free coffee, she poured me a cup and handed it to me like she didn’t know she was doing it. I ran out of there, sort of freaking out, sure that something strange was going on.”

“This was approximately three months ago?”

“That’s right. I’ve had some time to get used to it. I kinda treat it like a genie following me around looking to grant wishes, so I try to not make requests or to do speak really carefully. Like, now I'll say ‘I’d like _to buy_ a coffee.’”

“Very good. You mentioned a specific area of concern is dating?”

“Exactly. See, how can I tell if a girl is really interested in me? I can’t really ask anyone out anymore, and the last thing I’d want to do is coerce anyone. So I’ve had to wait for girls to approach me, and sometimes we end up in bed, but I’m worried-”

“You end up in bed without needing to ask?” Olenna broke in.

“Yeah,” Podrick replied as if that happened to everyone.

He did have a certain magnetism, Olenna had to admit. Not that she would do anything about it. Pinch his cheeks, maybe. “Carry on.”

“I’d like a real relationship, but I don’t know how to ensure that I’m not manipulating her.”

“Deaf girls?” Olenna mused aloud.

“It works through sign language as well,” Podrick admitted.

“Hmm… there is a strain of cognitive behavioral therapy that trains people to be more confident by asking for things directly. ‘I want’ rather than ‘if you please.’ For you, perhaps we’ll run it backwards. I believe your natural charms will compensate for the more mitigated speech.”

“It's worth a try.”

“Excellent. Let's begin with pretending with you want to ask someone to dance. Try centering your query on what she wants rather than stating your desires.”

For the rest of the session, they practiced ways for him to make requests that didn't trigger his power. The few times they edged against it, Olenna was astonished how smoothly she rationalized to herself that she should agree with him. When the hour was up, she patted him on the shoulder, then gave in and pinched his cheek a little.

Afterwards, Olenna pensively filed her notes away. Her private name for this power was Voice of an Angel because it only seemed to develop in people who were not inclined to use it for personal advantage. (Gods, what she could do with it). This put forth the troubling notion that there could be some guiding intelligence governing who developed what abilities. No genetic link seemed likely. The matter demanded close consideration. Very troubling indeed.


	4. Sandor C.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patient: Sandor C.  
Re: Sibling rivalry

The scarred man entered her office with a snarl. Olenna could always tell when someone was here due to administrative or legal pressure, rather than of his own free will. He sulkily took a seat on her sofa. Despite a somewhat slovenly appearance, he sat at rigid attention with his huge frame folded uncomfortably even on the generously-sized furniture.

“Please make yourself at ease. Though this session has been required by your employer, I will still follow strict terms of patient confidentiality. Nothing said here is anyone else’s business, regardless of who is paying.”

He grunted his acceptance and marginally relaxed. Olenna could certainly understand why someone employed by Tywin Lannister might have trust issues.

“Now, I understand you’re having trouble getting along with your brother, and it’s causing some conflict at work. Where would you like to start, Mr. Clegane.”

“Gods, no, woman. Call me Sandor. Mr. Clegane is my dad. Or **that numb cunt out there**,” he yelled in the direction of Olenna’s waiting room.

“Ah… did you bring your brother along to this meeting?”

“Well I had to, didn’t I? **Stupid fucker can’t take care of himself.**”

“I believe he’s quite a distraction for you. Perhaps we should invite him in so that we can discuss matters head on. Often that does resolve the situation more quickly.” Olenna intentionally tempted him, knowing that he’d rather be done with counseling as soon as possible.

“Good luck with that, but sure, whatever you say.” He got to his feet and plodded back to the waiting room. A few moments later, he returned leading a man who was – astonishingly – even taller and broader than himself. “Sit!” he commanded firmly. The giant sat directly in the middle of the sofa. Grumbling, Sandor found himself another chair that creaked ponderously under his weight.

“Welcome, Mr. Clegane,” Olenna consulted her notes, “or Gregor if you’d prefer.”

“Urrggh.”

Olenna looked the newcomer over again. Oh dear, pallid complexion and black eyes. She saw Sandor smirking at her.

“Told ya he wasn’t going to be much help. I spend half my time keeping him from throwing tantrums like a baby. Then my temper slips one iota, and I get told off for yelling at him. Worst part is, that Lannister arsehole takes his side ‘cause he’d like all his workmen to be dumb, obedient piles of muscle.”

“What do you suppose causes these tantrums?”

“Fuck if I know.”

“Ugh, urrr, uh uh urr,”

“Shut up, you.”

“If you don’t mind, Sandor, I’ve picked up a little Zombie. Let’s see… Urg un ur urr uh?”

“RRggh! UH! Un urr ar eh un.”

“Oh, well that was very naughty of him. Sandor, did you steal your brother’s dolly?”

“Wha? He’s a grown man! He can’t be carrying a My Buddy around the workplace.”

“If Mr. Lannister doesn’t have a problem with it, I don’t see why you should. You’ll be done with this a lot sooner if you two make peace.”

“For fuck sake, fine. But you’re not putting it in any more dresses. It’s a boy doll.”

“Grr gah uhn urg.”

“Yeah, the baseball outfit will do.”

“Excellent. If you’ll see your brother back to the waiting room, I believe we’ll spend the rest of the session discussing the outdatedness of gender roles.”

Sandor shot her a poisonous glare, but did as he was told. As Olenna well knew, being the smartest person in your family could be difficult sometimes.


End file.
